The Latest News from Retrofit

It’s not about the perks. Sure, it’s nice to have a gym in your offices or, say, free ice cream. But what makes a job meaningful depends on a few key qualities: a sense of mission; trust (from managers) and autonomy (for workers); and a culture of teamwork and communication. That’s what emerges from 52,000 …

New research from the Northeast Business Group on Health reveals that targeted, personalized programs combined with nutrition and fitness activities could help increase the effectiveness of employers’ efforts to tackle the obesity epidemic. The study reveals that obesity is one of the biggest drivers of employer healthcare costs, with more than $73.1 billion spent annually. …

Fortune’s second annual list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Women highlights companies with generous benefits, flexible schedules, and an emphasis on balancing work and life. Rankings are determined by employee surveys and the representation of women within the organizations. Read more.

It’s one of the ironies of the healthcare profession. The men and women who care for the sick and injured often have a very high risk of obesity, despite knowing the effects of such a condition. The problem, explains Angie Villamaria, director of associate wellness for Centura Health, is that those professionals work long and …

Anthem Blue Cross made a diabetes prevention program available to community groups such as Black Women for Wellness and Valley Jewish Community Center, via a partnership with Solera Health, which offers healthy lifestyle coaching and weekly classes to help prevent and manage diabetes. The yearlong program will integrate Solera’s network of community groups as well as …

It’s easy to dismiss local business awards as mere boosterism. But I just looked at this year’s list of Illinois Technology Association CityLights Award finalists, and the quality of the nominees seems worth noting. Founded in 2005, the ITA was an early cheerleader for Chicago’s growing tech scene, a place for geeky entrepreneurs to network, …

Runners dream big. Tackling a new distance, posting a personal best,losing 20 pounds—we embrace grand challenges. But what happens after that goal is (hopefully) met? You risk stalling—unless you’ve changed your routines to those of a stronger, healthier runner. “Runners who are consistent with good habits have the most success,” says Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist, sports …

If you’re happy and you know it, you might just be working with Catalina Andrade. After all, Andrade, 33, is in the business of keeping people happy as chief happiness director of wellness company Retrofit Inc. And, as Workforce has reported for years: A happy worker is often a productive worker. Read more about why …

It’s no surprise that Domino’s employees are big pizza fans; it’s what their company’s famous for, after all. But while the pizza chain’s leaders are proud of their product, they were also concerned with employees’ widening waistlines. “Historically, we’ve struggled to move the needle on our BMI metric, indicating we needed a stronger focus on …

Is employee happiness an issue at your organization? Have you heard grumbling around the water cooler? Here are some go-to ways to boost morale and improve employee happiness used by Retrofit, a leading provider of weight-management and disease-prevention programs. Read more.